


The Tooth of the Matter

by SmolDargon



Series: Adventures in Anatomy [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, anatomical discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:35:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolDargon/pseuds/SmolDargon
Summary: The human goes in for a routine surgical procedure.
Series: Adventures in Anatomy [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2205429
Kudos: 1





	The Tooth of the Matter

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably end up rewriting this when I ACTUALLY go in for my wisdom tooth removal, when I actually have the experience.

"REMIND ME WHY YOU CAN'T DRIVE YOURSELF TO THIS?"

Papyrus was not overly thrilled with the prospect of waiting in a doctor's office, even though he wasn't the one being seen. The human had requested that he drive her to an appointment. Apparently, it was one that she would be unable to drive herself home after. The thought made him nervous. In his peripheral vision, he caught the human's gentle smile.

"Well, I'm having a minor surgery. I'll be in no shape to drive, or probably do anything but sleep. Nothing to worry about."

Her calm tone did little to soothe his nerves. He couldn't help but rattle anxiously as they searched the parking lot for a place to leave the car.

"As I understand it, you should be able to pull around front to retrieve me, so it won't matter too much how far away you park."

"ARE YOU SURE I CAN'T JUST WAIT OUT HERE?"

The human shook her head.

"I guess some people either try to drive afterwards anyway or their relatives just sort of abandon them temporarily and leave the poor doctors with a mess, so the doctor requires that the patient's driver be present in the office."

They finally parked and made their way into the office. Papyrus had seen signs for the place before, but he'd been unfamiliar with exactly which doctors did what in humans. It was simple for monsters, they had a healer who could work directly with the patient's soul. Humans, it seemed, needed a whole team of health care professionals just to stay alive.

The receptionist jumped slightly as he caught sight of the skeleton; it seemed he had little contact with monsters in the past. He recovered quickly, however, and asked how he could help. The human gave her name and appointment time, explaining that Papyrus was her "designated driver". The receptionist checked her in, confirming that she hadn't eaten anything, and instructed the two of them to have a seat in the lobby. It seemed they were a little early.

In his best inside voice, Papyrus inquired further about what was going to happen to his human friend.

"What Are Wisdom Teeth, And Why Are You Having Them Removed?"

She responded quietly, "They're an extra set of molars behind the normal ones. Some people don't have them at all, or they stay embedded in the gums their whole lives. Unfortunately, mine are coming in sideways, which can cause problems for the rest of my teeth. They're also hard to keep clean, being so far back. Lots of people have them removed just to prevent issues from coming up."

"Why Are They Called Wisdom Teeth?"

The human shrugged. It seemed a mystery he would have to Google while she was in surgery.

"Also, What Are Molars?"

The human looked surprised.

"You don't have molars?"

"What You See Is What You Get, Human! These Are All Of My Teeth. All Twelve Of Them. Well. Eleven, If You Consider That One Is Gold."

"Oh. Well…. Humans have those types of teeth, too, see?"

She pulled her lips back, giving Papyrus the first good look at the inside of her mouth. Certainly enough, she had the same types of teeth, but more of them. It reminded him of Undyne's grin, except less sharp and certainly more crooked.

"The ones in the very front are called incisors; they're common in plant-eating creatures. Basically they are used to cut through vegetation. The pointy ones are canines, and they're for meat-eating. They're for piercing and tearing. The ones in the back--the ones you don't have--are molars, and they're used for grinding food up."

Papyrus considered this.

"Skeletons Don't Actually Do Much With Their Teeth, Aside From Just Getting The Food Into Our Mouths. We Use Magic To Actually Eat."

The human nodded; she had probably figured that out a while ago.

"So, You Need A Whole Separate Doctor For Your Teeth?"

"Yeah, our teeth are the only exposed bones in the body, and they're also the only ones that can't repair themselves over time. So if we get holes in them, we have to literally have the rotted parts ground out and filled back in with artificial material. And of course, sometimes you can't salvage a tooth and it just has to come out. I'm actually missing my second-to-last molars on both sides of my bottom jaw. Because of that, my lower wisdom teeth are actually going to be left alone. They'll fill the gap--literally--where my other teeth used to be."

She opened her mouth wider, pointing out the small gaps in her bottom teeth. Papyrus listened with interest, another question forming in his mind.

"So, Can Dentists Replace Missing Teeth?"

She nodded slightly, "Well, yes, but most of the time they don't. If someone loses a bunch of adjacent teeth, they can get implants to replace them. I'm actually kind of surprised you had just a single tooth replaced."

He folded in on himself slightly, shuddering at the memory of his lost tooth. She recognized that it was a touchy subject and moved quickly to distract him.

"So, do your doctors have sedatives to work with? Or is that ever necessary?"

He shook off the memory to answer her.

"Most Of Our Medicine Is Based Around Healing The Soul Directly. Sedation Is Rarely Ever Needed For Us. I Assume Humans Need It? Drilling Teeth Sounds Painful."

"We use injectable local anesthetics for most dental procedures, but other surgeries--like the one I'm having today--require a general anesthetic. Most places use an injection first, then maintain the anesthesia with gas. I admit, it makes me nervous… I've never been completely unconscious for anything. Except sleep, of course."

He looked concerned.

"Wait, They Actually Completely Knock You Out?! No Wonder You Need A Driver!"

She chuckled anxiously.

"It's a scary prospect, to be honest. It's relatively safe, but it makes me nervous all the same. Surgery is actually something humans are really good at! We figured it out _centuries_ ago."

He cocked a brow at her, as if to confirm that she were not, in fact, exaggerating.

"You Mean To Tell Me…. Humans Were Operating On Each Other In, Say… The Victorian Era?"

She nodded as he eyed her incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, and even before. We were hacking people's brains open before we even knew what ketamine was."

Papyrus gaped, barely restraining himself from shouting in the quiet waiting room.

"You Mean You Figured Out Surgery Before You Figured Out Anesthesia?!"

The human deadpanned, "I never said we figured out anesthesia."

Papyrus responded with a set of what could only be described as distressed skeleton noises.

"Ms. Darmstaedter? We're ready for you."

The receptionist's calm voice interrupted their dialogue. Papyrus was still quite distressed, and the human seemed nervous all of a sudden. She took a deep breath, standing and walking over to meet the receptionist. Papyrus followed, uncertain of what was expected of him. The man asked him to sit back in the lobby, with the promise that he would receive a full explanation of the procedure and aftercare instructions. He took the human in his arms and hugged her tightly. She returned the gesture, assuring him all would be well, before gently breaking free and following the receptionist into the back halls of the hospital. Papyrus sat down again to await further instructions, anxiously bobbing a knee. Within a few minutes, the man was back, and he waved Papyrus over to the front desk.

"So, your friend probably explained a lot of this to you, but basically, she's just going under conscious sedation for the removal of two of her four wisdom teeth. She won't feel any pain during the procedure, and probably not for the rest of the day either. We will prescribe painkillers for the next few days, as once the sedation wears off completely, she will likely be very sore. We will also prescribe antibiotics to help prevent the surgical sites from becoming infected. She needs to rinse daily with salt water, and instead of spitting the water out, she needs to just tilt her head and let it run out the sides. She should avoid drinking with a straw for at least a week."  
The explanation dragged on, but Papyrus took careful notes; the last thing he wanted was to be responsible for his human friend having some sort of complication. Thankfully, the receptionist seemed well aware that he was basically ignorant of human anatomy, and was patient in his explanation, answering all of the skeleton's questions. He advised Papyrus to have a seat and relax while his friend had her operation.

Around an hour and a half later, he was once again called to the front desk. The human's operation had been successful, and she was recovering well. They were basically waiting for her to wake up more completely before discharging her. That ended up being all of five minutes; the human was known to bounce back quickly from seemingly everything. She was walked out by a pair of nurses, and handed over to her monster friend. She was uncoordinated and very giggly. He could hardly understand her, though he recalled that she probably just was having trouble speaking around the gauze in her mouth. She leaned heavily on him as they walked back out to his car. The drive home was quite eventful; she kept talking about how she couldn't feel her tongue, and cried at least twice over how much she loved and appreciated him for taking her home. It was an amusing spectacle considering her normally reserved nature.

Once they arrived at the Gaster brothers' house, he decided to put her in his own bed; the couch was rather uncomfortable, and he didn't sleep much anyhow. She staggered inside with him, waving good-naturedly at his brothers as they argued quietly over whether ketchup was a valid condiment in coffee. He ended up having to carry her up the stairs for fear she would trip in her drugged state. She patted his head and mumbled something about appreciating his help. He just chuckled, setting her down, tucking her in, and pulling up a chair so he could observe her more comfortably. She ended up dozing off after a while, but he stayed close just in case she awoke suddenly. He worried she would wake up and stagger into the staircase. While the mental image was funny, he knew she could break a leg that way. Best to stay close and keep her amused. It was easier than expected; she slept most of the afternoon. What little time she spent awake was largely devoted to laughing at the ceiling fan or the shape of the few ribs exposed under his crop top. She was an amusing enigma, to be certain.


End file.
